Swing voters Theresa from Pennsylvania, Jason from North Carolina and Gerald from Georgia. All three voted in this year’s midterms and all three have mixed emotions about the results.
Tara Anand for NPR
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Tara Anand for NPR
Republicans were dealt a stunning rebuke in last week’s midterms. But swing voters, who could be decisive in the next election, are more interested in results than investigations or impeachment as Democrats prepare to take power in Congress.
“I am hoping that we don’t experience a bunch of gridlock and a lot of whining and crying and just political infighting for the next two years,” said Theresa, a voter from Pennsylvania who is participating in NPR’s Swing Shift project. “I’m hoping we don’t have that. I fear that we will have that.”
NPR has agreed not to use the full names of the Swing Shift voters, so they can speak freely about politics without fear of personal or professional repercussions.
Theresa voted for President Biden in 2020, President Trump in 2024 and split her ticket in this year’s midterms. Like many voters, her top issue this year was affordability. In a voice memo sent to NPR days after the midterms, Theresa said she is eager for the cost of living to come down.
“I just don’t remember it ever being as bad in our time,” Theresa said. “And I’m just hoping we get some relief and we get some relief soon.”
At 9:56 PM on election night, Wally in Georgia hit send on his voice memo. He had seen enough.
“Just checking in here with a quick note. I’m not surprised at all by the outcome tonight,” Wally said. “I believe that this is a lot of Trump’s doing and pushback on his style of politics and how he governs.”
Wally voted for Trump in 2024 but swung back to Democrats in this year’s midterms. He had initially supported Trump in hopes that a Trump presidency would shake up the political system, but that didn’t happen and now he says the second Trump term has been exhausting. As he sees it, the decisive Democratic wins signal that the country is ready to move on.
“Trump has been shooting himself in the foot for many months now,” Wally said. “But voting isn’t the end of the game here. We have to hold Democrats to some sort of tangible change and not just promises about what they want to do.”
For several of the Swing Shift voters, Tuesday’s results came as a surprise.
Jason from North Carolina split his ticket, voting for Democrat Roy Cooper for Senate and the Republican incumbent for the House.
“My congressman was defeated this time by someone that no one’s really ever heard of,” said Jason, sounding almost puzzled by the blue wave that crashed on North Carolina.
That happened in a lot of places. Jason wants the incoming Democratic Congress to focus on the cost of living and steer clear of impeachment.
“My fear is that the Democrats now are going to spend the next 2 years not focusing on any of the things that they say Trump didn’t do,” said Jason.
Michelle in Michigan, voted for President Biden in 2020 but chose Republicans in 2024 and again in this year’s midterms.
“This is the first time I think ever since I’ve been voting that not one of the people that I voted for won their election,” Michelle said.
Michelle says she understands why so many people voted for Democrats, even if she didn’t. Americans are tired, she said, of high gas prices, the cost of living and not being able to afford their groceries. They voted for change.
John from Pennsylvania said it felt like his state went from purple to blue overnight.
“I’m just very surprised,” John said. “Not surprised that Democrats had a good night, but they had a very good night. Absolutely amazed that they won in Texas and places that just seemed like they were really red.”
He voted for President Biden in 2020 and President Trump in 2024. In the most recent midterms, he stuck with Republicans despite concerns about the cost of living and the war with Iran.
Gerald in Georgia ran through the list of states where Democrats won senate races in disbelief.
“Come on man, Texas turned blue,” Gerald said. “South Carolina turned blue, Ohio, Kansas. Like, this was a referendum of epic proportions.”
Gerald is a Biden to Trump voter from Georgia, who has gone all in on MAGA. He’s already looking ahead to a future without Trump leading Republicans.
“The Donald Trump era for all intents and purposes is coming to an end in 2028 for certain, if not before that,” Gerald said.
Before that, though, Democrats will take power in Washington, at least in part.
Swing Shift voters said again and again when asked about their hopes and fears following these midterms that they hope that the incoming Democratic Congress will focus on the issues that impact their daily lives but fear more of the same broken politics.
“I will choose to hope because that’s really all we can do is hope,” said Michelle. “Hope that the politicians that were voted in will live up to the promises they made and that change will truly be made.”
Even though John didn’t vote for Democrats this year, he still wants them to tackle the cost of living.
“Over these next 2 years I hope they are concerned with and concentrate on the affordability issue,” John said. “I hope they work with President Trump to try to lower prices. I just hope it’s not two years of investigations and impeachment hearings.”
Anything Democrats pass in a divided government would have to be signed by President Trump. The president has been inconsistent in recent days about whether he wants cooperation or combat with the new Congress.
This story originally appeared on NPR
